The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mpumalanga will write to the Office of the Premier (OTP) urging them to strengthen collaboration with people with disabilities and relevant organizations and stakeholders. This will support initiatives and programs aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and small business development among individuals with disabilities.
This after the OTP has dismally failed to reach its 7% target of making business opportunities available for people with disabilities.
According to guidelines from the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD), private companies and government are required and mandated to set aside at least 7% of their available contracts, jobs, or other business opportunities specifically for individuals with disabilities. This is aimed at promoting inclusion and equal access to economic participation within business and government.
In its Third Performance and Expenditure Report for 2024/2025, the Office of the Premier revealed that they had failed to reach any of their 7% target of creating preferential businesses for persons with disabilities. They claimed that they could not find any registered businesses of persons with disabilities in the Central Supplier Database (CSD).
The DA finds it strange and questionable that the office of the Premier could not find any registered business enterprises for people with disabilities in the CSD, considering that in November last year, Premier Mandla Ndlovu met with the Disability Forum in eMalahleni Local Municipality where he promised that the provincial government will do all it can to address challenges raised by people with disabilities especially the youth, which include exclusion in discussions of job creation, and economic empowerment.
Premier Ndlovu also indicated that R100 million has currently been budgeted to support businesses owned by young people with disabilities.
The DA would also like to urge people with disabilities to register their businesses and submit to the Central Supplier Database (CSD), so they could be considered for business opportunities in the provincial government.